Japan courts ASEAN, hopes to keep ahead of China

Japan courts ASEAN, hopes to keep ahead of China

Eric Talmadge, Associated Press, Tokyo

Hoping to bolster its political presence amid a growing challenge
from China, Japan will play host this week to leaders from around
Southeast Asia in a summit expected to focus on trade and
regional security.

Bringing to Japan the 10 leaders of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the two-day summit is the first
of its kind and underscores Tokyo's efforts to strengthen
relations with the bloc.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who proposed the summit
after touring the ASEAN countries last year, is expected to hold
bilateral meetings with the leaders from Wednesday, attend both
days of talks and host a state dinner in their honor. The leaders
were also to have tea at the Imperial Palace with Emperor Akihito
and Empress Michiko.

Among the leaders attending are Philippine President Gloria
Arroyo, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the
prime minister of Myanmar's military government, will also
attend, despite a Japanese aid boycott over the detention of pro-
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Even before the general's arrival, a handful of pro-democracy
activists had already staked out on Monday in front of Japan's
Foreign Ministry in protest. Kyaw San, one of the rally
organizers, said more protests were planned during the summit.

Though billed as a "commemorative" summit, the gathering was
not expected to be solely symbolic.

Koizumi was expected to discuss the expansion of ties through
free trade agreements and sign the 27-year-old Treaty of Amity
and Cooperation in Southeast Asia - a nonaggression pact whose
members pledge respect for each other's independence, sovereignty
and territorial integrity.

ASEAN's 500 million people - about 17 percent of the world's
population - make it an attractive market for Japan. Japan is
already the bloc's second-biggest trading partner and investor,
after the United States. ASEAN's combined trade with Japan was
worth an estimated 13.4 trillion yen (US$122.9 billion) in 2002.

Tokyo has generally focused most of its attention on
Washington, but its decision to host the ASEAN leaders meeting
has been regarded as reflecting concerns that the country is
falling under the shadow of China.

China has already signed the ASEAN security pact. It also
inked a free trade pact on agricultural products with Thailand in
October, while Japan's talks with Bangkok were stalling over
fears that Thai rice will flood the domestic market and hurt
farmers, a powerful political lobby group.

Still, Yonosuke Hara, a professor of Southeast Asian economics
at the University of Tokyo, said he doesn't believe China is as
much of a threat as many think.

"I don't believe it's necessary to be afraid of China," he
said. "Rather than the threat of China, we should be more
watchful of the change in the overall order in Southeast Asia."

To reassure ASEAN leaders of Japan's commitment, officials
said on Monday that Japan will continue to earmark roughly 30
percent of its overseas development assistance to the region.
Japan provided about $75 billion in ODA in 2002, of which $21
billion went to ASEAN.

Japan has been holding regular meetings with ASEAN since 1977,
but this is the first summit it has hosted in Tokyo.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.